This invention relates to the field of pneumatic guns or launchers for expelling an object or device by the rapid expansion of air or other compressed gas, and more particularly to an improved launcher suitable to be carried by a ship or submarine for launching devices such as sonobouys or other instrument packages either above or below water.
Pneumatic guns and launchers of the type including a barrel, air storage means, and valve means for rapidly releasing the stored air into the barrel behind a projectile or object to be expelled have been known for some time. Those devices have had one or more shortcomings, when considered for use aboard a ship or submarine, including lack of provision for charging and firing control from a remote panel and lack of fail-safe provisions to prevent inadvertent discharge upon failure of piston seals or the like. In addition, the known devices have been of such construction that the initial acceleration of the projectile or package is greater than can be safely tolerated by sensitive instrumentation components and assemblies.